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Boston Celtics team up with Sun Life Financial for 3rd annual #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes campaign

SLPC 27908 10/16 (exp. 10/21)

Celtics dunks in November will generate thousands for Greater Boston YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program

BOSTON and WELLESLEY, MA – (November 1, 2016) - November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and once again, the Boston Celtics and Sun Life Financial will hold the #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes campaign, which raises money to fight diabetes.

Each time a Celtics player dunks in November, Sun Life will donate $1,000 to the Greater Boston YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, a year-long course that helps adults avoid and reverse the factors that can result in type 2 diabetes. The Celtics Shamrock Foundation will also generously match dunk donations up to $25,000. For others who want to support the program, Sun Life encourages Celtics fans and the broader community to get involved by using the hashtag #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Each hashtag will result in a $1 donation.

“As a leading employee benefits company we see the widespread impact of type 2 diabetes,” says Dan Fishbein, MD, President of Sun Life Financial U.S. “We are committed to supporting community efforts that help people live healthier lives, like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. We are thrilled to team up with the Celtics once again, and look forward to seeing how many dunks the team can get this month.”

Last year #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes raised over $57,000 for the program, and has raised over $135,000 to date. The Dunk for Diabetes campaign is part of Sun Life’s growing support of the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program nationally, which Sun Life helped launch in Kansas City, MO and Boston, MA in 2014. Since the program’s launch, over 44,000 people have taken part, nationwide. To date, Sun Life has donated over $1.4 million to programs focused on diabetes prevention in the U.S. and over $17 million to the diabetes cause globally.

“The Boston Celtics and Sun Life are committed to teaching families that living a healthy lifestyle is essential,” said Ted Dalton, Celtics SVP of Corporate Partnerships. “We hope our program in some small way can help reduce type 2 diabetes, and at the very least, raise awareness. We’re excited to join our good friends and partners at Sun Life in our Dunk 4 Diabetes campaign again this season.”

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program aims to help people lose five to seven percent of their body weight through healthy eating, physical activity, and other lifestyle changes. These changes can reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in adults by 58% and in adults over age 60 by 71%, according to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.*

“We are so grateful to Sun Life and the Boston Celtics who share our commitment to fighting the devastating impacts of type 2 diabetes. The Y is dedicated to creating healthier communities, and to working with those who need support and guidance to take charge of their own well-being,” noted James O’S. Morton, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston.

Sun Life, the Celtics, and the Greater Boston YMCA will also continue their annual Fit to Win program in early 2017. Fit to Win, a four week program, helps kids from Boston and New England-area YMCAs incorporate fitness, nutrition and healthy living activities into their daily routine, and at the end, rewards them with Celtics prizes and visits from players.

About the Boston CelticsA charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966, winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African American Coach and starting the first all black starting five. In addition, 35 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information, log on to www.celtics.com.

About Sun Life FinancialSun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Sun Life Financial has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

In the United States, Sun Life Financial is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving more than 60,000 employers in small, medium, and large workplaces across the country. Sun Life’s broad portfolio of products and services in the U.S. includes Disability and Absence Management, Life, Dental and Vision, Voluntary, and Stop-Loss insurance. This includes the acquisition of Assurant Employee Benefits in Q1 2016. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us.

About the YMCA of Greater BostonFounded in 1851, the YMCA of Greater Boston is a cause driven organization committed to developing youth to their highest potential, encouraging healthy living and promoting social responsibility in the communities we serve. We welcome men and women, boys and girls of all incomes, faiths and cultures. One of the largest urban YMCAs in the country and Boston’s largest provider of social services for children and families, the Greater Boston YMCA network of services includes 75 facilities and program centers serving over 150,000 men, women and children in more than 40 eastern Massachusetts communities. For more information, visit www.ymcaboston.org.